In the early morning hours of August 21, 2016, a family dispute in Dinwiddie, Virginia, ended in tragedy, leaving 25-year-old Brandon Coles dead from a gunshot wound. The male victim was at the home of his brother, Terrell Coles, who was a Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Deputy at the time. An argument broke out between the two brothers, escalating to a critical point.
During the altercation, an intoxicated Brandon Coles reportedly got ahold of his brother's service weapon and pointed it at
Terrell and his family. In what was later determined to be an act of self-defense, Terrell Coles shot his brother once. After the shooting, a frantic Terrell called 911 and attempted to perform CPR on his brother while waiting for emergency services to arrive. Brandon Coles was fatally wounded in the incident.
Following the shooting, Terrell Coles was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation took over the investigation at the request of the Dinwiddie County Sheriff's Office. A special grand jury was convened to review the evidence in the case.
After examining the evidence, the special grand jury found that Terrell Coles was justified in his actions and had acted in self-defense. They recommended that the second-degree murder charge be dropped. On October 4, 2016, the Dinwiddie Commonwealth Attorney motioned to drop the charge, and a judge accepted the motion, clearing Terrell Coles of any criminal wrongdoing in the death of his brother.
